Coast Fork Feed Co. to occupy old Farmhand Feed location

photo by Jon Stinnett
Coast Fork Feed Co. owner Emily Rinck with sons Bradon and Kalen. Rinck hopes to have the store open by late April.

Last winter, Mary Koepfle, owner of Farmhand Feed and Home Co. at 105 S. 6th downtown, announced the closure of her store after a 12-year run. But if recent developments are any indication, the location won’t stay closed for long.

On Monday, Emily Rinck announced that a transition in ownership at the store is progressing “very quickly.” Rinck said her new store, Coast Fork Feed Co., will pick up where Koepfle left off, offering pet and small livestock feed for locals and their animals.

Rinck said the store will also carry chicks and will feature the addition of more of a “garden center,” including a stock of heirloom plant starts and fertilizer. She said the store will also add products for the area’s home brewers to offerings, in addition to some beekeeping equipment.

Rinck described Coast Fork Feed Co. as a family effort that will also involve her parents, Dale and Ernie Smith.

“We had spoken with Mary (Koepfle) about the store before, and I’ve just finished my horticulture degree at Oregon State University,” she said. “It was perfect timing; all the pieces just fell into place.”

Rinck said the family has ‘roots’ in plant sales.

“I sold plants at a wholesale level, and my mom was a rancher’s daughter,” she said. “The retail side of things will be a new adventure for sure, but we’re up for it.”